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Robert Baker
Bryce’s grandfather and Patsy’s father, Chet Duncan moves in with the Loskis during Bryce’s seventh-grade year. From his seat at the front window, he often watches the Bakers’ yard, eventually stepping in to help Juli restore it and forming a bond with her in the process. He tells her she reminds him of his late wife, Renée. Chet gives Bryce a newspaper article featuring Juli on the cover, sitting high in the branches of her favorite sycamore tree cut down for urban development, and encourages his grandson to try understanding her on a deeper level. Chet’s influence on Bryce over time is quiet but steady. He also challenges Rick’s judgmental, condescending behavior, modeling for Bryce a gentler and more compassionate way to live. In the end, Chet’s guidance leads Bryce to see both his father and Juli more clearly, as he finally comes to understand what Chet had meant when he said, “There’s nothing like a headstrong woman to make you happy to be alive.”
Chet Quotes in Flipped
The Flipped quotes below are all either spoken by Chet or refer to Chet. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 4: The Sycamore Tree Quotes
Then a few months ago I found myself talking to the tree. An entire conversation, just me and a tree. And on the climb down I felt like crying. Why didn’t I have someone real to talk to? Why didn’t I have a best friend like everyone else seemed to?
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This passage comes just before Juli’s sycamore tree is cut down in the seventh grade, and it lays bare the profound loneliness she feels. As she grows older, she begins to understand that she’s different from her peers, who don’t have the same interests she does. Girls like Shelly Stalls won’t climb trees because it might mess up their hair, and others, like Bryce, won’t climb because they don’t care. Juli even hides the tree from her parents for nearly two years for fear they’ll stop her from climbing it, which speaks to just how fragile and isolating her internal Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minim
Chapter 7: Get a Grip, Man Quotes
He pulled my curtain aside and looked across the street. “One’s character is set at an early age, son. The choices you make now will affect you for the rest of your life.” He was quiet for a minute, then dropped the curtain and said, “I hate to see you swim out so far you can’t swim back.”
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After dinner one night, Bryce learns that Chet now knows he’s been throwing away Juli’s eggs for over two years. Chet stops by Bryce’s bedroom to offer the advice in this passage. Bryce realizes that while Chet was helping Juli fix up her yard, she must have told him about the eggs, and a part of him feels ashamed that his grandfather has learned the truth—that Bryce was too cowardly to simply be honest with Juli. Bryce knows he’s in the wrong for lying and wasting two years’ worth of Juli’s eggs, and deep down, he also knows he’s been Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. N
Where would I be if things had been different? What would they have done with me? From the way my dad was talking, he wouldn’t have had much use for me, that’s for sure. He’d have stuck me in a nuthouse somewhere, anywhere, and forgotten about me. But then I thought, No! I’m his kid. He wouldn’t do that . . . would he?
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When Chet reveals that Juli’s Uncle David has an intellectual disability, and that this is why the Bakers’ yard is often in disarray and their resources stretched thin, Rick makes a cruel joke about how it “makes sense” that Juli is the way she is. His callousness speaks to his arrogance and his inability to care about anything beyond appearances. Chet explains that David was born healthy, but the umbilical cord had been wrapped too tightly around his neck, leaving lasting damage. Rather than showing empathy, Rick largely dismisses the situation, arguing that there are government facilities “for that kind Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequ
I’d spent so many years avoiding Juli Baker that I’d never really looked at her, and now all of a sudden I couldn’t stop.
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Bryce finally reads the newspaper article about Juli and her sycamore tree that Chet had given him weeks earlier. For the first time, Bryce is confronted with Juli’s voice in a context he can’t dismiss: on the page, she comes across as insightful, articulate, and full of conviction. But what surprises him even more is the featured photograph of Juli perched high in the branches of her tree, her face flushed with joy and purpose. She looks radiant—almost larger than life—and Bryce can’t reconcile this version of her with the girl he has spent years brushing off. What makes this Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti s
Chapter 8: The Yard Quotes
At last he turned to me and said, “Get beyond his eyes and his smile and the sheen of his hair—look at what’s really there.”
The way he said it sent a chill through me. It was as though he knew. And suddenly I felt defensive. Was he telling me his grandson wasn’t worth it?
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Chet helps Juli fix up her front yard, and he warns her that most people don’t bother looking beyond surface appearances until it’s “too late.” Though Juli never confides in him directly about her crush on Bryce, Chet sees it clearly and tries to steer her away from making the same mistake his daughter, Patsy, made when she married Rick Loski. While Juli assumes Chet’s words are specifically about Bryce, Chet’s advice is incredibly layered. He is speaking broadly about his whole family—about Patsy’s failure to see Rick’s arrogance beneath his charm, and about his fear that Bryce might follow Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenet
I felt as though someone was watching me. I got so spooked I even got up and checked out the window and in the closet and under the bed, but still the feeling didn’t go away.
It took me until midnight to understand what it was.
It was me. Watching me.
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When Bryce apologizes to Juli for the egg debacle and for criticizing her family’s yard, Juli accepts his apology but feels strange afterward. She had tried to follow Chet’s advice to be more discerning and look beyond Bryce’s hypnotizing blue eyes, but in the moment, she couldn’t fully separate her emotions from her longstanding crush. Reflecting on the encounter later that night, Juli realizes she doesn’t feel simply angry or happy but somewhere in the middle, a disorienting gray area that catches her off guard. The truth is that she doesn’t know how she feels because she’s in the midst Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a des
Chapter 9: Looming Large and Smelly Quotes
He’d crossed the line, man. He’d crossed it big-time.
And what made the whole thing so stinking hard to ignore was the fact that standing right next to him, on the other side of the line, was my father.
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Garrett has just made an insensitive and cruel joke about Juli’s Uncle David’s disability—the same joke Bryce’s own father had previously made. When Rick first cracked the “joke” was the moment Bryce began to see his father’s true colors. He knew it was wrong when he heard it the first time, but hearing his own best friend casually repeat the same prejudice makes it impossible to ignore any longer. Now, his father and his best friend stand on the same side of a line Bryce has no desire to cross. In this pivotal moment, Bryce is in the midst of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrup
Chapter 13: Flipped Quotes
“No, Bryce,” he said softly. “She’s the same as she’s always been; you’re the one who’s changed.” [...] “And, son, from here on out, you’ll never be the same again.”
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In this passage, Chet explains to Bryce that Juli isn’t suddenly “different” from the way she’s always been—it’s Bryce himself who has evolved to the point where he can finally see her clearly and accept her for who she is. It’s not only the world around Bryce that changes, but also his internal world. Juli has always been passionate, forthright, and soulful, but Bryce simply never paid enough attention to see these things. Chet understands this from firsthand experience, having fallen in love with his late wife Renée while he was engaged to another woman. At one point, Renée’s headstrong Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. De
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Chet Character Timeline in Flipped
The timeline below shows where the character Chet appears in Flipped. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3: Buddy, Beware!
Last year, in the seventh grade, Bryce’s grandfather, Chet (Patsy’s father), moved in with the family. At first, he spent most of his time...
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The next day, Chet had handed Bryce the local newspaper with a photo of Juli in the sycamore on...
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Chapter 7: Get a Grip, Man
...so he decides to return the next day to help her. But to his surprise, Chet got there first. By the time Bryce shows up, his grandfather is already working alongside...
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That night at dinner, Bryce’s parents ask Chet why Juli has suddenly taken an interest in landscaping. Shooting Bryce a sharp, knowing look,...
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...apologizes. She seems to forgive him almost right away and begins gushing about how much Chet has helped her, saying Bryce is lucky to still have one grandparent around. She tells...
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At dinner that night, Rick confronts Chet, accusing him of spending more time with Juli than his own grandson. He calls the...
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Alone with Bryce, Chet reveals that Bryce was also born with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, and...
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Chapter 8: The Yard
...tackling the front yard herself. At first, the work feels overwhelming, but soon Bryce’s grandfather, Chet, stops by to offer his help. Over the next few days, they work side by...
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One afternoon, after Chet has gone home, Bryce comes over while Juli is still working in the yard. He...
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Chapter 9: Looming Large and Smelly
The morning after his talk with Chet, Bryce wakes to find Rick asleep on the living room couch—a clear sign his parents...
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Chapter 13: Flipped
...see him and advises him to give her a little time. Bryce then confides in Chet, who is clearly thrilled with the recent turn of events. He warns his grandson that...
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